Several artists will perform traditional music in three French cities - Paris, Marseilles and Bordeaux - to celebrate the overseas Vietnamese community and the French during the Lunar New Year festival.

The Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France and the Hanoi-based Centre for Research, Preservation and Promotion of Vietnamese Traditional Culture will cooperate to launch the event, which runs from February 24 to March 5, according to Truong Hoang Chuong, Director of the centre in Vietnam.

The event is aimed at promoting quintessential traditional Vietnamese culture and entertaining the audience, especially Vietnamese people living far from home, when springtime comes.

Musician Nguyen Quang Long, one of the artists, said he will perform xam (blind wanderers' music) three times over the course of the festival.

"Xam was so popular in the north of Vietnam in the early 20th century; however, like other traditional singing arts, it has been on the decline," remarked Long," I feel proud to present this music abroad and expect that the audience will understand its background."

Other artists and director Chuong will also introduce quan ho (love duets), cheo (traditional operetta), tuong (classical drama) and bai choi (a traditional game combining folklore singing and lottery picks).-VNA